" I Don't Celebrate Thanksgiving. It's A Story of Murder." Angelina Jolie

While everyone is preparing to give thanks this November, one of
America's most famous families, the Jolie-Pitts, have decided to sit
this Thanksgiving out.

"Angelina Jolie hates this holiday and
wants no part in rewriting history like so many other Americans," a
friend of the actress has said.

"To celebrate what the white
settlers did to the native Indians, the domination of one culture over
another, just isn't her style. She definitely doesn't want to teach her
multi-cultural family how to celebrate a story of murder."

Angelina has been filming her directorial debut, about a Serbian man and
Bosnian woman who fall in love during the Bosnian War. Angie, always
extremely sensitive to the suffering throughout the world, is filming in
English and the native languages.

"Angelina gets so grossed
out by Thanksgiving that she has made sure her family will not be in
America this year during the Holiday," the friend had said.

And although Brad Pitt recently told 'EXTRA,' "We'll whip up a turkey
somewhere," he certainly hasn't shared that plan with Angelina. A family
friend tells me, "If Brad wants turkey, he will have to cook it
himself. For Angie, it will be another day when America tries to rewrite
history." (Source)

The REAL Story of Thanksgiving

Most of us associate the holiday with happy Pilgrims and Indians sitting down to a big feast. And that did happen - once.

The story began in 1614 when a band of English explorers sailed home to England with a ship full of Patuxet Indians bound for slavery. They left behind smallpox which virtually wiped out those who had escaped. By the time the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts Bay they found only one living Patuxet Indian, a man named Squanto who had survived slavery in England and knew their language. He taught them to grow corn and to fish, and negotiated a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Nation. At the end of their first year, the Pilgrims held a great feast honoring Squanto and the Wampanoags.

But as word spread in England about the paradise to be found in the new world, religious zealots called Puritans began arriving by the boat load. Finding no fences around the land, they considered it to be in the public domain. Joined by other British settlers, they seized land, capturing strong young Natives for slaves and killing the rest. But the Pequot Nation had not agreed to the peace treaty Squanto had negotiated and they fought back. The Pequot War was one of the bloodiest Indian wars ever fought.

In 1637 near present day Groton, Connecticut, over 700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe had gathered for their annual Green Corn Festival which is our Thanksgiving celebration. In the predawn hours the sleeping Indians were surrounded by English and Dutch mercenaries who ordered them to come outside. Those who came out were shot or clubbed to death while the terrified women and children who huddled inside the longhouse were burned alive. The next day the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared "A Day Of Thanksgiving" because 700 unarmed men, women and children had been murdered.

Cheered by their "victory", the brave colonists and their Indian allies attacked village after village. Women and children over 14 were sold into slavery while the rest were murdered. Boats loaded with a many as 500 slaves regularly left the ports of New England. Bounties were paid for Indian scalps to encourage as many deaths as possible.

Following an especially successful raid against the Pequot in what is now Stamford, Connecticut, the churches announced a second day of "thanksgiving" to celebrate victory over the heathen savages. During the feasting, the hacked off heads of Natives were kicked through the streets like soccer balls. Even the friendly Wampanoag did not escape the madness. Their chief was beheaded, and his head impaled on a pole in Plymouth, Massachusetts -- where it remained on display for 24 years.

The killings became more and more frenzied, with days of thanksgiving feasts being held after each successful massacre. George Washington finally suggested that only one day of Thanksgiving per year be set aside instead of celebrating each and every massacre. Later Abraham Lincoln decreed Thanksgiving Day to be a legal national holiday during the Civil War -- on the same day he ordered troops to march against the starving Sioux in Minnesota.

This story doesn't have quite the same fuzzy feelings associated with it as the one where the Indians and Pilgrims are all sitting down together at the big feast. But we need to learn our true history so it won't ever be repeated. Next Thanksgiving, when you gather with your loved ones to Thank God for all your blessings, think about those people who only wanted to live their lives and raise their families. They, also took time out to say "thank you" to Creator for all their blessings. by Susan Bates

Absulutely the truth. I'm a Half breed from Northern B.C Canada. Are reserve is very small, Iam Beaver Indian and yankee lol. But it is the truth and so many Natives are gone with their wisdom,because of what????

Giving thanks is not a white virtue. Many tribes celebrate a harvest. Having gratitude for what one has is a good thing. It is true some misguided souls had "Thanksgiving" to celebrate the murder of innocents. I am thankful to be alive and have food to eat with my family and friends, my skin color has nothing to do with it

Was'te! Angelina Jolie I applaud your efforts in taking the time to educate yourself on the history of our Native People of this turtle continent & realizing that a celebrated holiday amongst other one's are not o.k.! I totally agree with you as a full blooded Lakota from Rosebud, SD I thank you. I myself don't celebrate any holidays of massacre It's just a shame.

I knew the Indians were killed around the time, but nothing this intense. I may only be a tiny bit Native American but their culture is strongly tied to mine. When Thanks Giving comes, I will see it as a day of remembrance and mention the story to others. Shoot I think I will print this out and pass it as fliers. I still like the holiday for food and the modern reasons, but I will celebrate it in a different way. Like memorial day, for the Native Americans.

I celebrate the Harvest holiday, as in most cultures, I celebrate my Native American friends, I celebrate my Polish friends (I'm myself of Polish origin), and I make sure my "American" friends (white, black, native, any color and religion)- all know about the horrific history of this holiday, and how we all should celebrate "Thanksgiving" and each other to protest the hate, racism and douche-bag-ness. My house is fileld with people of different colors and beliefs and yes-turkey - because it can feed a crowd (it doesn't even come from the NoEast and was never served diring the original feast). Let's all learn from the horrible times, let's love each other, share bread (and turkey) and please let us mingle!!!!

I agree with Ms.Jolie,why celebrate a day of hate and turn it into a national holiday!Respect is hard to earn when there is none to give!All ways taking without asking and lies to hide their fears and wrong doings to N8tives!

Thank you for sharing that ,because a lot of people don't know the history & want to believe the so called holiday came about from a good cause. Not true at all. We Natives are people of the Earth. We don't force other nationalities to adapt to our culture,religion & speak our Native language. Speaking of Native Language, our Grandfathers the Navajo Code Talkers help win a war that they did not start. Please have respect for all my Native people.

As a Indian/i believe that Thanksgiving is for giving thanks,that the family you share with our happy&healthy.that is what thanksgiving sould be.&be greatfull we our not in that day&time&be greatfull for all your love ones,are well.

Iam an American Indian woman, thank you for putting the truth out there. In my family we have made sure that all of our children know all of the history that doesn't make it to the books the read in school.

I had no idea that the original settlers were such bloodthirsty beasts! However, since they were european it does not surprise me. I intend to celebrate the harvest in November, but, I will make sure to pass around copies of this story among our (mostly) white family. This story should be told to everyone!

Thank goodness someone has enough backbone to say what has needed to be said for awhile now. I have studied these things all my 73 years as a Neshnabe person who still practices what our Creator gave us, namely our language and culture. There are many who were brutally murdered who shall not have that chance though. For me, Thanksgiving has always been an International Day of Mourning for those who died. We fast all day and eat a quiet meal in the evening to commemorate the deaths of so many that needlessly died for Greed and Avarice.

When I look at the injustices inflicted on Native Peoples in the U.S., It really makes me sick. And it has not stopped. We are still presenting a picture of superiority based solely on race in this country. When you consider the fate of the American Indians, the African Americans, the Native Hawaiians, the Native Alaskans, Hispanic Americans, the Japanese Americans during WWII, my stomach turns. I only wish to say, I personally did not do these things, but I feel terribly sorry for what they did and what they are still doing. I look at our President and what he has had to go through, and it makes me sick and sad. To me, outward appearance is like a costume we all wear, but inside, we are all one. I learned a new word, it is Ubuntu. It means together we are one. I believe that with all my heart.

Thankgiving was for the white and native american people to give thanks for the harvest. Angelina is a nut case in every way caring blood around her neck from another husband. She just need some major help

I am half-breed too and I'll always believe in Omaha History no matter what happened and will always celebrate Thanksgiving the way its suppose to be celebrated with my children the story was true parts of it

It's always funny, how people think and talk in boxes about "bloodthirsty" Europeans without any ability of differentiation. It makes me very angry how some Americans even blame todays generations in Europe for the past. They have nothing to do with it! The murderers are DEAD for a long time! Please stop being so self-rightious and stop putting people into boxes.

This Native American version of Thanksgiving does not surprise me in the least. The caucasion race has a history of killing others and nature from greed or simply because out of fear of the not knowing or understanding what is unfamiliar to them.

we don;t thank the past,we thanks our family and friends for what we have now,i thanks u all thats alive an healthy,happy no matter what colour u are.i have alot of frinds thats not white and we thank them for being our friends.i hope she understand the white man fff everything but she also should be thanks for her family health,there food on the table there happeness ete not what happen years ago, it wasn;t right but we need to make things right now not the past.Happy Thanksgiving to u all from NS Canada veronique

any person that uses anonymous must have something to hide and want to keep indigenous american history covered up but lets keep the non-indigenous history the only truth, what ever lets all be self-rightious keep it up

I feel for the native American Indians of various nations that have suffered from the actions of the white settlers and the U.S. government. This has been perpetuated throughout the world specially since the end of world war 2 by all the conflicts the U.S. has been involved in. Examples of this is the Mylai massacre in Vietnam of men women and children by American troops, to this day no one has been brought to account by the U.S. government or the international War crimes tribunal. The Americans have double standards when it comes to Justice.

I am Cherokee on my mothers side. On my fathers side I am sad to say that his family was aboard the Mayflower. I knew some of the story but did not know the extent of the whole story told here. I have always (since childhood) disliked thanksgiving. I alway felt that there was something that did not make sense, now I know why. As for Angelina, she has grown into a woman who speaks for those who can not speak for themselves. She has come a very long way. Meaning her young self was alot like myself, out of control. Then one day she woke up and became aware of what is really going on in the world we live in. I do not know her but I admire her for all she is doing to make this world a better place for herself and most important, her children and well her family, they as well as my children are our future. Thank you for making the world and America aware of the true story here. And so we never forget what happened.

I have always been of the same mind..The indians innocently and graciously helped the pilgrims who wandered onto their land, only to be slaughterd and treated like animals, while raping their culture, women, children. land and their Souls....

I commend Ms. Jolie from exploiting a warped sense of history as many true accounts which were once hidden are being revealed. However I'm confused as there is no mention here of Massasoit nor Metacom in this article. I have been instructed (not by White historians) that the Wampanoag encountered the Puritans who were escaping England's persecution. Perhaps true accounts are history are still being revealed.We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in our household, never have, but rather a celebration of harvest and I am proud to be able to recite the Nipmuc prayer as Massasoit most undoubtedly did with his family.

Sorry guys.. she might be a beautiful woman... (heuuu a beautiful manipulation of surgeries, I meant) I think that she is just another capitalist poppet that promotes the NWO... Freaking Imperialist! Fascist! Hypocrite!!! Read & Listen to this ;) ♡ & ✌ http://empirestrikesblack.com/2012/02/angelina-jolie-conscripted-to-sell-genocidal-humanitarian-intervention-war-doctrine/#8230

I am not Native American, but I do believe that what the white man brought was destruction, hate and yes, murder. I try to stay informed as I am an avid Pro Wolf supporter and commend Angelie for her strong beliefs!!! We could use her help here to try to save our wolves!!!

I hadn't really decided how I felt about Angelina Jolie. Being a Native American lady however I certainly do have much more respect for her now. Taking this stand to maintain a true learning experiance for her children is wonderful. Just as hatred and racism is a learned behavior, she definetly shows her kids how to be good individuals and that all people are created equal.

If only the Politicians would address My Ancestors pains, but it won't happen because it would disrupt big money. So glad a person of Angelina's caliber says something because we 1st Nations are never listened too.

Johnny says ths what i been telling teh young people,s of the truth I thank you for sharing this those stories are out there to learn by visual and photocal,s They defently hid this sad story ahooooo...Meegwetch sister for sharing this...

Ayukii - Hello, Thank you for posted this news article. Many people don't know the true history of Thanksgiving and what took place. So it is good to educate people(s), so hopefully this will never happen again. Being Tribal myself, I'd like to thank Angelina for coming forward with her beliefs and helping bring it to the attention of many others. May the creator watch over you and yours, Yootva - Thank you, Jim aka jimbeads - Karuk

yes i totaly agree with you angelina jolie i'm native iknow we were never taught our history in school but now that you have taken the time to talk about it we can make achange in our lives and for our children many thanks god bless you and your family - joey

I am aborigine of Taiwanese that has had same root of Native American. Being 1st generation of Taiwanese American, I do not celebrate Thanksgiving in my household but taking it as family gathering day. Somehow, I have a feeling about the Thanksgiving is a story of exaggerated lies. The mayflower, European, just like Chinese, MT, the invader, killed Taiwanese, grabbed the land, hidden the truth History.

Thi is a great write up. You might be interested in a book called Vain Traditions. Many of these things are in that book. You can go to their web site at www.vaintraditions.com they only ask to cover costs for the book

It's seems clear that, historically, this sort of thing happens, time and time again, what is worst is that the truth is hidden or obscured from the masses. I am Puerto Rican and by heritage My people the original Puerto Ricans, Back then the Taino indians, were practically irradicated by the spanish settlers in Puerto Rico. As a result what few Taino indians were left were forced to mate with whatever other ethnic individuals were there. our original language was changed to Spanish,and so was our religion. So I can identify with this story and thank Angelina Jolie and susan Bates for bringing this story to light. The truth is out there.

Hi Ange, yes is like that now but, to everyone M-rabas is telling you what i don't like about the EU people... They don't know where they came from or they just don't care, when they say. AMERICA THE STORY OF US...? I am a NATIVE and indian as EUP call me... I'M NOT AMERICAN... I AM A NAVAJO MEXICA... :)

They say the VICTORS write history! Ever wonder what "history" would look like if the Nazis had won WWII? The thought twists the mind! I do sincerely thank Jolene, and all that fight this good fight, for revealing the attrocities that our "Great Society" here in the US has committed, and, unfortunately, STILL evidences here and abroad today. I'm white, yet my heart has been deeply rooted with Native spirit as far back as memory serves (4 years old). I'm a grown man, but literally bawled the first time I saw a documentary on the Trail of Tears. The inhumanity and evil! The more I've learned, and the more "connected" I've become with Native people and culture and understanding our TRUE history, the more soul-wrenching sorrow I feel toward the genocide against the keepers of this land. I'm now 61 and don't think I've EVER celebrated Thanksgiving as a remembrance of our fairy-tale banquet with Natives, but simply a time to express thanksgiving for the loved ones in my life. THAT is the tenent of my Thanksgiving prayer. I always meet everyone's eye and tell them JUST how thankful I am that they are a part of my life. It's NOT a time to hypocritically celebrate how "WONDERFUL" we are as a people! I hate to see the positive use of this day of giving thanks go away because of the day's distressing origins. All the people at my dinner table - of which always some are Native - know the truth already. NEWCOMERS WILL BE EDUCATED! I hope WE can RESHAPE Thanksgiving into something POSITIVE, as an expression of our LOVE for one another, AND a time to reflect on those times when, historically (or within or own lives) we have wronged one another, and GROW from those mistakes! I feel that simply NOT celebrating as a protest is a NEGATIVE stance, and expresses retaliatory HATRED - this time toward WHITES! Perhaps, still celebrating Thanksgiving, but including a sincere reflection on our wrongs, is a way for us to enrich our souls for the BETTER and STILL be able to share our love with those close to us! May God BLESS all you loving people that have read and shared here! <3 Rob K, Redding, California

This is a story of duplicity, deceit, connivance, unfaithfulness, greed, self-glorification, dehumanization of indigenous population, their slaughter and enslavement all carried on against the backdrop of European expansionism, lies, half-truths, greed that is fed to all school children as a mythic, nay divine, tale assumed to to be the truth. It is story or prejudice, degregation of members of our human family and reverbrates through the centuries to present day.

I didn't think this woman had any substance at all except to work at whatever benefits her like roping in Brad to enhance her career and ty to make them a powerhouse to be worshipped and adored because she sure didn't do a goodjob on her own; but my opinion has now been changed from thinking of her in that way and I want to believe she is being sincere in this and not just another ploy to gather followers (my oppression speaking here). I have always questioned the validity of Thanksgiving day and when I seen the cartoon "Frist Welfare Line" it made more sense and now reading more of the true history that hardly anyone with white-skin privilege will ever accept as the truth still keeps us relegated to the bottom of society.I will go to dinner tomorrow and celebrate my friends in family in this city I live in and if anyone dares to ask I will share with them my knowledge and understanding of the true history! What I would give to sit down with Angelina and have a discussion! Is she truly an Allie?

Columbus day, sure, but Thanksgiving? A day to remind yourself of the good things you have in life and to be thankful for them? That's what Thanksgiving in 2012 is about. If you want to live in the past, and cry over events that happened 300 years ago, find another day for that.

there is a huge difference between the natives and non natives,,in that the natives gives thanks on a day to day basis,,,whereas the non natives choose to give their thanks one day out of 365 days in a year,,,, full blooded Ojibway from Whitesand First Nation,,,,Elsie Kwandibens,,,masinatay keeshigoog Loon clan,,,,,,dated this Oct 6th 2012

Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate all our blessings. A day of gratitude, and Angie of all people has much to be grateful for. It's a Native holiday, naturally the Native peoples lived in gratitude for mother earth and her gifts.

The best thing we can do on this holiday is to step away from the barbarism of "our forefathers." And the best way to do that is not to stop giving thanks, but to step away from the "traditional" way that places barbarism at the center of the table in the form of a slaughtered turkey.

It's great to look at those in the past and condemn them for their bizarre, violent behavior. But our words have more meaning if our subsequent actions come not from some imagined tradition of eating a turkey, but from our desire to truly live in peace, and with our eyes wide open to the impact of our actions. Heck, I've been doing that for over 30 years now, and I've never yearned for the sacrifice on my table!

The best thing we can do on this holiday is to step away from the barbarism of "our forefathers." And the best way to do that is not to stop giving thanks, but to step away from the "traditional" way that places barbarism at the center of the table in the form of a slaughtered turkey.

It's great to look at those in the past and condemn them for their bizarre, violent behavior. But our words have more meaning if our subsequent actions come not from some imagined tradition of eating a turkey, but from our desire to truly live in peace, and with our eyes wide open to the impact of our actions. Heck, I've been doing that for over 30 years now, and I've never yearned for the sacrifice on my table!

One additional fact Squanto was not the first Native American to understand or speak English. A local chief walked over the embankment at the Pilgrims camp. Whilst they were preparing to defend against him he spoke in good English "Welcome Englishmen". It is now apparent that European fishermen were often in the area, many years prior to the Pilgrims and traded with the locals.

Please stop labelling "white people". It was THOSE white people who came here and comitted those crimes. I'm all for the truth being told and making things as right as we all can..but we can't turn back the clock to fix it or erase it. It SHOULD be told and taught so it is NEVER repeated. Humans, throughout history, have a terrible track record when it comes to the way we treat our brothers and sisters. Can we ALL celebrate Thanksgiving for our blessings and stop trying to FURTHER divide us as people? Only love can conquer hate. Avoiding Thanksgiving will only FURTHER the hate and hurt and division. Peace!

We can't continue to live in the past. Yes many barbaric things happened back then. I give thanks every day of the year. To me Thanksgiving is a time for families to get together and be thankful to be together. To me, it's family time. And by the way, I am part Native American who will not live and dwell on the past. Many blessings to you all.

My Family celebrates Thanksgiving Kinda.... But we leave the history stuff aside and just enjoy it as a Time for Family and A time to eat The Treats that only come this time of year, like Pumpkin Pie. I remember all the cruel things people have done in the past, all the different peoples world wide who have been persecuted and it breaks my heart. But Why blame the Turkey for something it didn't do. It has been eaten for a long time so why stop now? If nothing else lets blame the Puritans for all that happened because they did the worst of it.

I am Passamaquoddy Indian and I grew up in Ledyard Ct with most of the Haywards who are ancestor's of the Pequots and still live on the reservation. Their tribe was totally distroyed by the white settlers. In the early 80's there were only a handful of them left but they still survived dispite the genocide. Today they own one of the largest casino's in the world and are thriving thanks to the Hayward family and their perseverance and the passamaquoddy's help in the beginning to help them become the tribe they are today.

As a Native woman, I want to thank Jolie-Pitts team for putting thr truth out about the horific history of Thanksgiving--the details I was unaware. We need to continue that conversation in order to start the healing process for non-Indian, and also for Indian people who suffer still from these massacres. Its similar to the history of slavery. The history of Thanksgiving, though did not start with this massacre. The families were gathered to celebrate and give thanks for their harvest. The Christians that attacked them knew they would be there, the Indians had saved their asses when when they did not plan for the harsh winter and were starving. Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks for our blessings and all our relations. I say continue the conversation and continue giving thanks.

There are those who celebrate thanksgiving not knowing of the "real" truth, those who celibrate as remembrance of what has been done, celibrate with cerimony of thanks, not just the good but the poor choices of humanbeings, the bounty we have and the losses we had. Give thanks for all things for all things are related in the great circle of life.

As a Canadian Anishinabe woman I give thanks many times daily for my teachers,which is everything and everyone that crosses my path. Our people suffered much in the past at the hands of the English and the French,and today many still suffer racism. Because I wish my family to be free of hate, I teach them to love, to open their minds and hearts and turn away from such people. My family and I celebrate Thanksgiving to honour those who fought and survived. We give thanks for what we have today and build for a better tomorrow for our children. My heart is sad for all who have suffered and I pray for them and their families. Life is not always fair, but it does give us great life lessons. Meegetch Creator for all your blessings.

Shared on FB. Using this day to give thanks for the opportunity to do the right thing day to day the rest of the year as it should have been done so many years ago. Not to celebrate the slaughter of innocents.

Niawen Kowa = Thank You Huge Ms Jolie I am Seneca and seeing that you have Honored All of The People like you have I would like to inform you that this genocide has yet to stop because I was the Poster Child for the Kinzua Dam Relocation Program which they stole me from my Family and set me in Governor Rockefeller's lap and took pictures of me and told the press: "This little Indian Kid is going to a good white home", 1960-63 somewhere om that time frame, and I was adopted by the Skull and Bones because after he had died in 1970 I wore his ring to school and got into trouble for wearing it and was told not to yeah right I still did. I still have a lot of questions about all of this especially why was the Skull and Bones so interested in me. I was this little Indian Kid Seneca and never knew who my Mother was until after she had died and long after that. Then I went to the Reservations to check it out and learned a lot but never got any real answers about anything about who I really am. They know but would not tell me anything. Well, anyway Thanks again for posting the TRUTH... Your New Friend Kunaruc Tio = Bright Leaf Turtle Clan white name of Michael Stevens I am Onkwehonwe from the Seneca People

Wow I never knew this but this just goes to show you that non natives will never publish the truth about indigenious peoples. They only want the sugar coated version of their history to show the world.the truth should be published never mind how old or unjust it is just print the truth. We native north americans are still here and we always are gonna be here no matter what happens to all of us as a people.

That is so right. I am working on the three colonizations (Spanish, French and Anglo-Saxon) of Northern America and Meso-America. On the Anglo-Saxon side it is Pocahontas and John Smith that interest me. It became a myth in Virginia.

But ask the question: How can a colonized people who has been through a quasi-genocide (you know the final solution during WW2) and survives today most of the time in mixed cultures and mixed blood situations, how can they decolonized themselves within the country that was built on their being "colonized"?

It is very interesting to follow the various methods. In Mexico La Malinche is far from being revalued. In Louisiana (the vast French Louisiane) the Catholic church is at the spear head of that revaluation. It is a lot more complex in the case of Pocahontas.

And don't forget in America two colonizations occurred at the same time: the American Indians and the African Black slaves. Can we dream of the two joining forces to achieve their decolonization in the USA, Mexico, etc? It is apparently well advanced in some Latin American countries.

The last question is: what can the role of the Europeans both in Europe and in America be?

As I understand it, the white washed story of the first Thanksgiving was inserted into the Amercian celebration in about 1890, about 25 years after Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgivig during the Civil War, in November. And, that is what I have taught my daughter (7). I've also taught her to question what she's taught in school. So, we celebrate Thanksgiving as a day of family and friends and a day to educate people of the white washed version of Thanksgiving. And, my family came to the US in the 1930's from Europe so I don't feel any ties to most of American history.

What a dark history. Such evil. I am curious why Mr. Abraham Lincoln made that day a National Holiday. Did make it a symbol of celebration of killing or did he restrict others from doing such celebration by making it National Holiday

I do know the facts, and unfortunately the person who wrote this doesn't. Much of what is described here is done inaccurately, happened at other times, or didn't happen. She starts off on the right foot, with the English stealing Natives and bringing epidemics, but then descended into bizarre-itude. The Pequots were not celebrating the Green Corn ceremony: they were already at war with the English, and the fortified village that the English hit (with their Narragansett and Mohegan allies) had almost all women and children because most of the warriors had gone to a different fortified village. The author also conflated the Pequot conflict with King Philip's War nearly four decades later; I think the Wampanoags would be surprised to hear that Massasoit had his head cut off and put on a pike in 1637. Etc.

Oh, and while it WAS true that New England leaders called a day of thanksgiving after defeating the Pequots (and yes, what they did at the Mystic village certainly qualifies as a massacre) and overcoming Metacom and his allies in 1676 (and DID sell many of the defeated men, women, and children into slavery in the West Indies), fasts and thanksgivings were called for many reasons. Finally, there was NO connection between the Dakota uprising of 1862 and Lincoln making Thanksgiving an annual federal holiday in fall 1863. Lincoln's actions are mixed with regards to that shameful episode, because after a series of kangaroo trials were held of Dakotas and 303 were sentenced to death, he commuted 264 and approved 39--which still set the record for the largest single day of hanging in American history. Those commutations made him very unpopular in the territory, in middle of the war, by the way.

Not really much has changed. Instead of killing us off, they're killing us with their culture, their language Lots of us are losing ours. Thankyou Angie for being a white person who cares for us and anyone else who's being killed off.,

If she doesn't want to celebrate Thanksgiving, may be it is because she doesn't have anything to be thankful for. That is her choice. I think she is missing the point and doesn't know what Thansgiving is all about!

I agree with Angelina Jolie, and I'm glad to see a person from Hollywood stand up for truth. I no longer celebrate any of the pagan holidays. But, I get persecuted everyday even by my own son. He has abused me to the fullest and I need protection here in Daingerfield TX. The police do not respond fast enough and they even let my son walk into my house after I said that I did not want him here. My son drained out my bank account and stole my car again now I have a wrecked car and my keys were taken again. The police say that I need to file a protective order but I don't have and money, cause my son took it.My son brought a gun with my card under someone elses name and he threaten to shot my dog! So, my question is will Angelina Jolie or any Hollywood personality even help a real Hebrew divorced mother who is being prosecuted in this evil world today? micklesamanda@yahoo.com

I really am glad to see someone like Angelina Jolie stand up for truth!I wonder why more Hollywood people don't stand up for the truth?I don't celebrate any of the world's pagan holidays cause they all have evil spirits which are of the fallen demons within them. I don't see why people who say that they believe in the so called bible, don't celebate the Sabbats and holy days that are written in there!

In Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The harvest season falls earlier in Canada compared to the United States due to the simple fact that Canada is further north.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.

After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

During the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada where they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are many similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin pie.

Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.

Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed...

"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

I am American Indian or Native American as they call us now, I KNOW it's a time of Murder & I also do NOT celebrate it was a 3 days Massacre of the pilgrims laying in wait & ambushing us as we came, Mighty good Thanks, Hugh??? Freespirit Clendenin (Free)

Thank God Angelina has stated the truth ,I hate this BS "holiday " Wish more people would have the courage to tell the truth ,about all the injustices and lies that most people wholeheartedly swallow .Too bad most politicians are gutless and too worried about votes, to actually stand up and say anything worth hearing .

Although the media will jump all over this, assuming it's another ploy for attention, maybe that's a good thing...Thank you, Angelina, for standing up for your beliefs, which we of Native American heritage share. It's hard to explain views about this, having ancestors on both sides of the fence, so to speak. If we wish to view the holiday of Thanksgiving as simply being grateful for the bounty of harvest we enjoy, this can and should be done every day, not once a year. To celebrate for any other reason seems to make light of the wrongdoing in which this country came about. Just my two cents.

The reason most people celebrate Thanksgiving is not based on the reason mentioned in history. Most people find its a great time to get together with their family for a huge feast. How many of them actually discuss the history behind Thanksgiving? Not many caucasians I'm sure.

Angelina Jolie and anybody who believes this twisted version of our modern day Thanksgiving Holiday are very sick individuals,Wackos to be exact. Let Jolie and her fellow idiots belive what they want and eat roots and weeds if they want to, The more turkey, gravy and pumpkin pie for the rest of us!

10-30-2012 As Mother Theresa may say "if you want me to support peace in this world, she wouldn't attend a war demonstration", I am Hawaiian Filipino born in Hawaii and we were overthrown by the white people during Queen Liliokalani's reign, my younger two children are registered Sioux & Cherokee (their dad is from Montana and both his parents have indian blood). Yes, the good, bad and ugly happened to all of us, I can appreciate Angelina Jolie's stance and everyone's comments, lets all remember, we cannot change history, we can only reshape our attitudes into gratitudes of compassion and love for all and how grateful we are blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving Day in an attitude of gratitude for God's tender mercies and grace. Letting go of hate can be overcome by forgiveness and love...please lets not spoil this Thanksgiving Day because Angelina Jolie said so...what a TURKEY! Yes, she's entitled to her own belief's because she's famous...God and Jesus Christ are more powerful than her or any of us...lets all join hands together to give thanks to Almighty God for sacrificing HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR FOR WHO DIED FOR "ALL OF US" SO WE CAN RETURN TO THEIR PRESENCE...LETS ALL REMEMBER JESUS IS THE SEASON OF CELEBRATION OF THE "AT-ONE-MENT" ...JESUS SAID, I DIDN'T SAY LIFE WAS GOING TO BE EASY, I JUST SAID, IT WOULD BE WORTH IT...Let's ALL REMEMBER AND PRAY FOR the SOLDIERS WHO ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOMS AND THEIR FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND ON THIS THANKSGIVING DAY WITHOUT THEM...LET THERE BE NO MALICE BETWEEN US...WITH LOVE AND ALOHA...ULULANI "HEAVENLY INSPIRATION" MAHALO FROM HAWAII "HAS LIFE REALLY CHANGED FROM THE DAY OF THE PILGRIMS?" BE GRATEFUL FOR EVERY BLESSING YOU HAVE, WRITE IT DOWN AND REJOICE IN THANKSGIVING DAY!

It is always good to know history. Hoe things transpired to result in the here and now. I hear hurt and disbelief of those who read this story as I am too totally nauseated by this history of violence. However, as it is said the past is the past... How do you move forward to a brighter tomorrow. Yes we give thanks that we can see today, and hope for the blessing for tomorrow. WE pray that the same history does not repeat itself in other parts of the world. WE pray the good people will not stand silent as others suffer. We pray that those effected by wrongful actions gather together and say no more...drawing the line in the sand. Supporting peace is the fastest way to the better end.

I am proud of Angelina for standing up for the truth. The truth was ugly and still is. I am Caucasian but love my Native brothers and sisters. I spoke up when my daughter had learned that the Native People at Thanksgiving were supposedly blessed with food the whites gave them. I had a fit and demanded they change what they taught. It turned out that the teacher changed her story. I have now and always will stand up no matter what for Native Peoples rights as a sister on this Earth. I am very passionate about it. I want the Native People to have their country back! I am just disgusted that we have destroyed it pretty much beyond repair. I am for all rights and the truth and justice for Native Peoples. Angelina I believe also was for leonard Peltier getting out of jail as well. Yes!

I feel the very same way about all of this. And although my skin is white, my heart is all red..., and my blood is all red. What I find really ironic in all of this is that> I believe it is Gratitude, pure heartfelt Gratitude, sacred, spiritual and holy gratitude that is the Native American people's GIFT to all of humanity. The whole world has seen the chanumpa, the peace pipe..., I give thanks to the Native American peoples every day, and for as long as my heart beats for the gift of pure heartfelt gratitude.

who give a shit? i just eat turkey cuz it helps calm the brain down. I eat on other days too, not just the thnxgivin day. I dont celebrate turkey day ..i just love to eat turkey and love to cook ...its not a big deal anyway.

Megwiitch (Thankyou for this article and telling our History from the side we were not taught in school.) The Pilgrims were still British Colonials at the time, but even with the American Revolution freedom did not come for everyone and not peaceably. Today it is a day to give thanks to God for many things and also to remember the ancestors of both worlds.

HAHA cry me a fucking river. what a bunch of bleeding heart pretentious whining. jolie should wrap herself in a smallpox blanket and learn to keep her whimsical nonsense to herself. college ended a long time ago, it's time to stop bra burning.

the "real" truth of thanksgiving is no hidden conspiracy or fact. we're taught this reality in high school and some middle schools. if you were unaware of it this whole time, i have to question your level of education.

fact: it's 2012. the holiday is seen as a chance to be with family and appreciate what you have.fact: jolie CHOOSES to see it as an evil reminder, while purposely ignoring it's modern day standing. she then feels the need to push her villifying point of view on others and preach our ignorance for not all crying ourselves to sleep over it instead.

the rest of you praising her air-headed sensitive whining should be slapped for your sheep-like stupidity.

We can all discuss what happened in the past until we are blue in the face.. what NEEDS to be done is for EVERYONE(no matter what race you are) to come together and work TOGETHER for the future.. we cant change what happened in the past.. We can only change the future.. I am a disabled white woman who has many multi-cultural friends...none of us that are here today where there when this happened so blaming everyone needs to stop now... The anger needs to go away.. it does not belong in something that is supposed to be positive..can we as a people united work together to make this world a better place.. is our world and the people in it worth the fight..in my eyes, yes we are..we just need to work together not against each other...

in my house.. thanksgiving is a time to get together with family and friends and enjoy the time together.. isnt that what it should be about?

I have watched Angelina Jolie and she is a very beautiful person as far as looks and I think she is also beautiful inside. God bless her and all the work she does to help people. And Thanksgiving is a holiday, but to us Natives we do not celebrate the day that Columbus came here. We celebrate what we have now and not what happened those years back. I'm sure all those that mistreated Natives then and now will pay their due when the time comes. And then I pity them. It's weird they brought the Bible over here and they must never have read it theirselves. God bless all mankind so we can appreciate each other for what we are and not what someone wants us to be. I'm Native American and proud!

It is nice that she is bringing light to the truth. I also find it odd, all her efforts for being a great humanitarian are "whatever way the wind blows". It's now a new "trend" all the natives are crawling out of the woodwork. Will she adopt a native child next? Or will she go to a reservation to give birth? Will she help work a comodities distribution center? We have yet to see where she will show up next

I am of mixed native blood, I was raised with my native culture. My mother excepted and encouraged my father teaching us about the real story behind thanksgiving, about Lincoln, about mission schools. He also taught us about retaliation of native people, why it's called a massacre when the natives got the upper hand,but when they whites got it it was a victorious battle. Both of my parents taught us how to read people, pay attention to detail. Since Angelina Jolie started putting herself in the head lines by adopting a child from Cambodia(just one of the many places that suffered genocide)She has been transparent You have to see people for what they are. She seems to be a heartless attention seeking sociopath. She is another Lincoln!

I am Very Happy to see this article and hats off to Angelina. At least there are a few folks in the public eye who are willing to speak out against our country's injustices and stupidity although most do not know why we as Native People do not care to celebrate Thanksgiving in "The American 'white minded' way" Sorry to those who may feel offended by that term but it is the way we as Native Americans may refer to it. A very good friend and "sister " of mine celebrated Thanksgiving in Sept this yr to honor our Abenaki Harvest Celebration which is in (was) in Sept. Olioni to you angelina and all those who posted comments. It does my heart good to hear that there are folks who dislike the atrosities (sp) that our Ancestors endured and the crap we Still put up with now. We, as The People of the Dawnland were the unfortunate 1st Natives to endure 1st contact and asimilation so that we lost most of our Old Ways very early on. Again... Olioni

Good for her. It IS a celebration of murder. As a descendant of two native nations, that is one of the many reasons I don't celebrate it. I don't celebrate any political holidays because this country was founded on the infringement, enslavement and death of the rightful inhabitants of this land. It was also cultivated by slaves brought from another land. Apparently, the "white minded" don't appreciate that other nationalities have rights too. A country founded on lies and betrayal doesn't deserve to be recognized as a nation.

My family will never celebrate the murder of any Native people. Thanksgiving is just one of many betrayals. I still can't get over the stories my Grandfather told me 200 million beavers were slaughter for their fur and I still can't get that out my head. So if they are willing to kill animals. I wonder what else are they capable of????CL

Over the years I've sought to learn more the above was quite comprehensive as education about any Holocost should be; but the mere overview white wash maintains a diminished humanity to rely on a myth. I've always felt it was ironic Christianity coming to "America."i've reinterpreted the time period around "Thanksgiving Day" as harvest time and a time for contemplation... I really don't like the "4th of July".

I can't believe Washington nor Lincoln approved or joined in killing American Indians. Washington by his time was just trying to protect his people from the Indians..if indeed he did do anything like that. And, Lincoln...? If he had great symphathies toward the Blacks, he would have had sympathies towards the Indians.

Ok she's stupid, an anyone else that agrees with her well your just as stupid. Welcome to 2015 what our ancestors did then does not make you who you are today. You don't know how or who you would have been back then. Thanksgiving is a day to be grateful that you can gather with your loved ones, and be glad y'all are together and made it threw another year tobether, a day to be at peace an love an share, who cares is this rich spoiled chick doesn't want to be in America for thanksgiving if your not thankful for the people an lives that have come before you so you can be who you are an be who you want to be then dueces get out.

she has native blood in her- Through Angelina’s French-Canadian maternal grandfather, Angelina has very remote Huron Native Canadian ancestry (from her 8th great-grandmother, Catherine Anenontha. nice to see her honour that.

As a descendant of some of the Pilgrims, I can tell you that you are mixing up the Puritans with the Pilgrims. They are not the same. The Pilgrims had peaceful relationships with the Indians. The Puritans did not. "Tolerance shown Pilgrims in Holland was absorbed by them and influenced their relationship with the neighboring Wampanoag Indians in Massachusetts. The Pilgrims negotiated a peace with the Wampanoag that satisfied the needs of both communities. Both parties accommodated each other from time to time to preserve a peace that lasted over forty years." Know your history - what you have said here is not all true. http://www.sail1620.org/Articles/pilgrims-and-puritans-in-17th-century-new-england

Wow, I am glad of all people, a celebrity spoke her true feelings on this topic. My tribe does not celebrate Columbus Day! Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and you have that choice to be open minded or maybe not. But in the end the truth always shows it's true colors, I thought we all had bled the same color? Apparently not in some people's eyes. Forgive them who choose to be blinded only cause they were given the wrong information.

Peggy: You need to withdraw your head from your nether region. The history lesson is above. You need to stop believing the official propaganda. The revisionist history that puts forth lies to cover genocide, and has for centuries.

I love Angelina and respect her beliefs. I respect our natives, and it's a disgrace to humanity as a whole, how those atrocities took place. We see to much of this kind of terrorism in the world, and now we face the muslim terrorists. Personally, I cannot change the past for anyone, but in my heart I am thankful for what our creator has granted me . God is good and we have a choice to live each day. Lets not dwell in the past but look to all around us who strive to live in peace and compassion for each other. Giving thanks at this time of year needs to be with a grateful heart.

Frankly, too much is hidden from education in our elementary schools. Columbus had good things to say about the Indians he found -- until he discovered that they were into things like cannibalism.

A woman should be particularly thankful. The Ojibway locked up their women for 5 days out of every month just for menstruating, according to the anthropological research of Ruth Barnes in 1937. Menstrual blood was considered a "magical poison". A young girl's menstruation was considered particularly toxic, and she was sent out into the forest alone with stern instructions not to gaze upon any other living being lest she contaminate them. Now, adventurous boys, more horny than superstitious, would know about this, and go rape her. This was an ideal set-up since, according to the cultural rules, she was looking away and was unable to identify her attacker! Is it any surprise that native women abandoned traditional beliefs as soon as they found there was another way to live? Not that there was any particular merits to Christianity, I don't advocate them, but women were not segregated when they menstruated nor raped the first time.

I appreciate your sentiment towards the Native American nation and the trials and tragedies that they have endured, Mrs. Jolie-PittNOW...let's talk about this CRAZY-A$$ED rumor I keep hearing of YOU playing, "CLEOPATRA"...

ya know I am getting a little tired of the natives winning about how they were screwed over here is a news flash for you first off the natives SOLD the land.....land they had no wright to sell by the way and I am getting a little tired of listening to the winning about It, the natives in that time had no problem selling the land and then tried to clamed it was stolen from them. 2nd the natives today should not reap the benefits for what has happened in the past I live in a state where the natives make up the majority they get free housing free state help free comities and if given the chance would likely take someone else wiping there ass for them, the natives in history have NOTHING to do with the natives of today so here is an idea make everyone equal everyone is treated the same ....get a job and get a pay check and pay your own bills rather then seeking out hand outs and crying pity me my ancestors got screwed

Manifest Destiny!!! What happened was gonna happen but how it happened was unconscionable it was a free for all to murder rape and maim our people and had ripple effects from historical trauma for all these years I do not celebrate the Thanksgiving as most but I so celebrate my life.

Genocide is genocide. We don't celebrate Hitler so why do we celebrate Thanksgiving ? We were taught American History in school but nothing about the genocide our forefathers committed. Search for the truth.

As a "Native American" ... it is our custom to give "Thanks" each and every day. I applaud Angelina Jolie-Pitt for having the strength and courage to stand up for what's right. I too, disagree with a day set aside to celebrate the murder / massacre of our ancestors by pilgrims, squatters, missionaries, etc ... they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

I for one applaud her for this. It is true it is a story of murder and betrayal and should not be celebrated in the traditional sense. Thanksgiving to me is about family and never letting our history be rewritten again by those in power. Thank you Angelina Jolie for acknowledging this as many do not even know the true history.

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and we have not celebrated Thanksgiving for many, many decades. We choose to be "thankful" on every day, and see our loved ones when we can. Some might be interested to know the history behind other holidays too. Food for thought. You can learn more at jw.org

Teachers and Professors have been saying this for decades. The facts have always been there. Whether people chose to listen or not seems to closely related to who say the words these days. And it's not a teacher or a professor. CLEARLY one must dress up these words with a celebrity in order for anyone to listen. Sad but true.

WE need more people of her stature to speak out and educate mainstream society about the REAL HISTORY of the "united states" ... so many people sugar coat the truth and want to sweep it under the carpet and pretend their ancestors weren't greedy killers/murderers and "rewriting history". Thank you Angelina Jolie for standing up and speaking the truth.